Head of Enterprise API Platform

Role overview

Described in the posting as Head of API Engineering, Platforms & Modernization (L9), this position owns both strategy and execution for Guardian's enterprise API ecosystem. The company is reworking the way digital and data-driven experiences reach its customers, and it wants secure, scalable services that can be reused to support customer, product and AI capabilities throughout the business.

You would modernize the existing API estate, define the engineering standards other teams build to, and lead the engineers who ship integration solutions company-wide. Guardian says it will judge success by platform reliability, performance and developer experience, by rising API adoption and reuse, by fewer redundant integrations and services, by compliance with security and engineering standards, by faster and more predictable delivery, and by a drop in API-related incidents.

What you will do

• Own the design and delivery of API platforms that scale and stay reliable for the whole enterprise.
• Set API standards for security, performance and lifecycle management, and make sure teams follow them.
• Convert legacy integrations into well-governed APIs that other teams can reuse.
• Push API adoption and reuse among product and engineering teams.
• Agree integration patterns with the architecture, cybersecurity and platform groups.
• Raise developer experience by investing in tooling, automation and self-service.
• Hire, grow and manage strong engineering teams spanning platform and delivery work.
• Cut duplicated effort and make enterprise integrations more efficient.
• Shape technology direction by building solid relationships with other functions.

What the employer is looking for

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years across platform engineering, API development or software engineering.
• 5+ years managing engineering teams, with delivery at enterprise scale and a record of developing the people on those teams.
• A record of designing API strategies and integration architectures and putting them into practice in large-scale environments.
• Deep knowledge of API design, microservices and current integration patterns.
• Experience turning legacy systems into service-based architectures that scale.
• Solid grasp of governance, security and lifecycle management for APIs, including authentication, authorization and zero-trust.
• Evidence of setting standards and getting teams to adopt them.
• Comfort working with many stakeholders in complex, cross-functional settings, and the ability to influence senior leaders on enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States with no employer sponsorship now or later; Guardian does not sponsor employment-based visas.

Good to have

• Cloud-native architecture experience, for example on AWS or Azure.
• Working knowledge of distributed systems and event-driven architectures.
• Some exposure to integration patterns for data and AI.
• Experience rolling out developer platforms or API marketplaces.
• A background in financial services or another regulated industry.

Benefits and compensation

• Base salary range of $178,690 to $293,560, with possible eligibility for annual or other incentive compensation.
• Hybrid schedule with three days a week in a Guardian office.
• Skill-building and leadership development programs.
• Philanthropic opportunities and community involvement.
• Company benefits for eligible full-time employees, detailed on Guardian's careers site.

About Guardian Life

Guardian provides insurance and financial products and services to 29 million customers and says it is among the largest mutual insurers. Its stated purpose is to inspire well-being, which it frames as looking after mind, body and wallet for the colleagues, consumers and communities it serves. As a mutual insurer, the company says customers come first.